http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22247628 en Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:45:41 EDT Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:45:41 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22258336
In 1979, IBM introduced the "5520 Administrative System" - »www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhib···c_5.html. Just before release, the field education folks brought in the first batch of field support people for training. The course developers had come to the development lab and watched us debug various problems, then set up their on mini-lab with bugged machines for the trainees to debug. The middle of the week, the teachers came over to our lab and asked the 2 lead programmers from the OS section for help. They said there was a problem that none of the trainees could solve. We asked them to bug one of our instrumented machines so we could give it a try. We used the field level debugging capabilities and couldn't figure it out. So, we used our deep debugging system and couldn't figure it out. After they explained how they had bugged the machine, Rick Simpson and I looked at each other, laughed, and then explained that there was no way to figure that out except using an instruction trace through a large section of code, which the field guys couldn't do and we did only when "all else failed". The bug they inserted was only a couple of bytes.

So, not all "easily insertable bugs" are "easily found".]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22258336 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:14:35 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22258280 said by kw:

They could have ran Memtest86 on the computer...
Are you sure? They didn't show the computer screen at all during any boot attempts, but I got the impression that there was a single RAM stick in the computer and it was sabotaged. I highly doubt you could get it to boot up enough to run memtest86+.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22258280 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:54:29 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22256706
Whenever I take a vehicle in for service, I feel that I'm at the mercy of the mechanic. That's no excuse for some of the things that some of these techs did but it felt like they were trying to put down the whole industry.

Many of us are honest, knowledgeable, and in general, good people. I hate for a few of these jerks to give us a bad name.
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Rule #62: Don't take yourself so damn seriously!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22256706 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:45:37 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22256682 said by aaronbav:

I am curious about one thing:

Are on-site techs given equipment to diagnose issues such as defective RAM modules?I've never seen a low-cost, portable RAM tester. The only type of RAM testers I've ever heard of are very large, very expensive machines.
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Rule #62: Don't take yourself so damn seriously!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22256682 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:28:56 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22255932 --
I used to be indecisive, now I am not sure.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22255932 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:39:00 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22255912 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22255912 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:34:35 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22255819 --
Join Teams Helix and Discovery. Put that fancy computer to good use helping to find a cure, your mom will love you for it. »Team Helix »Team Discovery]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22255819 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:05:18 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22254575 said by pandora:

I would never take an in use hard drive to a box store.

Heck, I don't trust my garbage people. My recycling of old hard drives involves a few good hits with a mini-sledge (or as I like to think of it, my securifier).
Not a bad idea if you have anything that you do not want others to access...

Haven't used repair folks in a dog's age, but if I ever do, the hard drive will be removed first...
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Deeds, not words]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22254575 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:29:10 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22254023
Heck, I don't trust my garbage people. My recycling of old hard drives involves a few good hits with a mini-sledge (or as I like to think of it, my securifier).
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"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22254023 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:38:16 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22253502 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22253502 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:17:27 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22252481 said by aaronbav:

I am curious about one thing:

Are on-site techs given equipment to diagnose issues such as defective RAM modules?

... but in the video they showed no one pulling out a RAM tester - is that something on-site techs have access to?

...

In the field you obviously are limited, unless the company sees fit to provide proper diagnostic equipment - so my question is DO THEY??
The answer should be obvious: "it depends".

Some of these operations contract out each tech (who then acts as a representative of the company), and each tech is expected to own/have his/her own equipment. This is the way it works with Comcast and their contracted service installers (Comcast provides the truck, but does not provide any tools -- the technicians are expected to pay for their own tools).

Such may be the policy with some of these companies.

If you want to get anal, it also depends on whether or not the tech knows HOW to use such tools. RAM testers are not as simple as "insert module, turn on, look for green or red LED to define OK/bad". Most decent RAM testers output the number of soft vs. hard errors, and test the RAM at different voltages + frequencies, providing all the results on a tiny liquid crystal display. I speak from experience here. :-)

So if you get an idiot who went out and bought a RAM tester yet has no idea what soft vs. hard errors are, you're going to have a tech who may give an incorrect diagnosis. But that's reality in this day and age...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22252481 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:42:37 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22252419
Are on-site techs given equipment to diagnose issues such as defective RAM modules?

I know from experience how EXTREMELY difficult it can be to diagnose issues on site (I am sort of the goto guy all my friends call when their PC doesn't work, etc) , ESPECIALLY if you do not have proper equipment - my experience with on-site techS is very limited, but in the video they showed no one pulling out a RAM tester - is that something on-site techs have access to?

For me it was easy (as the [un] official IT geek)in my office (My "REAL" job WAS as an Architectural CAD guy, but with the CRASH of the building industry, I am now unemployed - but I do think I would make a great repair tech, as I really do love working on PC's, Laptops, troubleshooting software, etc), ANYWAY all my support experience was in the office and I had plenty of resources to pull from to test different components.

In the field you obviously are limited, unless the company sees fit to provide proper diagnostic equipment - so my question is DO THEY??]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22252419 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:32:56 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22251643
However, there are a couple of things that were not quite right either:

First, when you get parts such as ram from any repair service, nobody is going to give you ram at a price that you can buy it for on-line...that is absurd. No different than when you take your car to the dealership to get a repair. You will never get parts priced at an auto-discount store level, rather you will pay "full-retail"...no surprise there. If you want "low-priced" parts, you have to buy them yourself! You are not going to get $25 ram modules from a repair service.

Second, this is a business...you do not fix computers for free, even if the problem is minimal. You are paying for a service, and someone's expertise, regardless of the simplicity of the fix. Get a plumber to drive out to your house, fix a leaky faucet, which may need a $0.50 washer, guess what it will cost you? Not $0.50...or anywhere's close...in fact, they will probably sell you a whole new faucet, whether needed or not! :o

For example, the woman who brought in her computer that turned out to have a loose connection: She should not be "hosed" of course, but there is nothing wrong had she been charged a minimum service rate. It would not be "wrong" if the policy was that when a computer is looked at, then it must be run through a diagnostic proceedure at a pre-stated minimum cost.

Same for the computer that Staples properly diagnosed as a hosed windows system file that needed a re-installation, $57 IMHO was entirely reasonable. Yes, you could re-install Windows yourself, so what? You brought it to someone else to diagnose and fix your problem...it is not a charity, and the service was performed.

In any repair business, the name of the game is making money from...customers...unfortunately that pretty much guarantees that exaggerated bad diagnosis will occur. :( The best remedy of course is to choose a repair service that you either have personal good dealings with, or a referral from someone that you trust and know well who has had good service...much the same as with automobiles.

P.S. What is really "funny"? There are any number of posts on this forum where many of us make the same "good" and "bad" diagnosis! Today's computers are very low-cost, highly integrated machines where symptoms can be sometimes difficult to pinpoint without diagnostic equipment that is too expensive to bother with, compared to the price of the product. Because of this, even so-called repair "experts" often can only take the same step by step trouble-shooting proceedures that we here use. Most computer "repair" is really just a parts-swap...we don't "repair" much of anything!

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Deeds, not words]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22251643 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:14:09 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22250651 --
----gg's and happy gaming----]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22250651 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:36:11 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22250422 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22250422 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:31:25 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22247628 this! (25 Mins)

Im not surprised by anything i saw on that vid!!

More Vids: »www.cbc.ca/marketplace]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Do-you-trust-computer-repair-people-22247628 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:32:25 EDT